Islamic Jurisprudential Analysis of Interaction or non-Interaction of Price with Clauses and Specifications Stipulated in Sale Contract

In respect of interaction or non-interaction of price with clauses and specifications stipulated in sale contract, there are two different views in Islamic jurisprudence. Some jurisprudents believe that the clauses and specifications have no role in determining the price of the sale but merely persuade the customer to make sale contract. Another group believes that the clauses and specifications of the sale are effective in determination of the price and are considered as equivalent to some part of the price. In other words, the first group of the jurisprudents relies on the rule “al-shurūṭ lā ūza´u ´alayhā al-thaman” and the second group relies on the rule “li al-sharṭ qisṭun min al-thaman”. It seems that no one can practice the generalities and specifications of these rules and since the act of legislator in the area of contracts is principally affirmative, for adopting the determination criteria it should be referred to the custom. As a whole, in the cases when the sale and the clause are considered as a single ruling by custom, such that the sale contract is made because of gaining the subject of the clause the rule “al-shurūṭ lā ūza´u ´alayhā al-thaman” is relied upon. However, if the clause is not in the above-mentioned order and it only triggers and persuades contractor to do the contract, the rule “li al-sharṭ qisṭun min al-thaman” is relied upon.